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Hi Richard, beware of the Dutch! Kidding, I don't know if these tyres are correct, they seem a little bit too white to me, but that is not impossible if the model has been stored in its box all the time. I hope someone else is more expert on these later French models. But I am familiar with the real one! My father had a maroon 404 in the later 1960s. It was the first car I drove (fast).

My new arrival is the US export no. 151b Transport Wagon, the scarcer version 1952-1953 only, with fixed driver (the early one with spread arms) and the round axle ends. Kind regards, Jan

Hello Richard, I have a light blue Chevrolet Corvair with white treaded tyres. I did not know of the export difference, but now I understand why.

From Germany for about half the current price: a lovely French no. 888 Camion petrolier saharien, the duo companion to the no. 39B/893 Unic semi-remorque saharien, the articulated oil tubes truck. An impressive, huge and heavy model, with wonderful detailing, comparable to heavy duty vehicles like the British Thornycroft Mighty Antar (although slightly different in scale). Kind regards, Jan

Just received a package today, with two new Dinky Toys. The first is the 25s 6 Wheel Wagon, civilian version, in a very early post-war version. It has smooth black wheels and also those very nice lightly treaded tires, seen only for a short time postwar. So I am guessing 1946 or 1947 at the latest. The second one is a very nice 38 series Armstrong Siddeley. For me, this was an unusual one, in that it has the thicker plastic windscreen, along with the silvered edges. This is the first of that series for me with that thicker windscreen, and I sure like it. It is so much nicer than the thin, flimsy ones seen on most models. It sits nice, straight, and upright. And since it is thicker, and has those silvered edges, looks much more authentic. I am assuming it was a cost issue for Meccano to discontinue it. Does anyone have any idea when these were made this way? Were they introduced with that windscreen, and made that way until late in production? I don't ever remember reading any comments on them. I can only imagine that the drawings made some reference to it, with a description and dates......I also included a photo of both of my Armstrong Siddeley's for comparison of the thin and thicker windscreens.
Best regards, Terry

Hi Terry, congratulations with such nice additions! I think you can easily put the dating of your wagon one year earlier, 1945/46. I happen to own exactly the same version (http://dtcawebsite.com/node/2276). That Armstrong Siddeley is a very nice one too. My US export version of that one has a replacement windscreen, the flimsy original must have collapsed some time in history. Kind regards, Jan

Jan or others----I was hoping to stimulate some conversation regarding those 38 series cars that came with the thicker plastic windscreen, along with the silvered edges. To date, I have seen scant information or even mention of it. In Richardson's "Dinky Toys and Modelled Miniatures", they mention briefly that the silver edges were only done for a short time, but no further information on exactly when or for how long. Now that I have a nice example, I am curious to try and find out more. Upon close examination, it is apparent that the silver finish has been applied to the backside of the windscreen, which helps protect it from being touched by fingers or dusting cloth. I was also amazed at just how small and fine the detail is, and how perfectly it was applied....very straight and true. I now wonder how they did it; was it some sort of mask, or did they use some type of tiny roller? I am sure that many over the years have re-painted these, but cannot imagine anyone getting anywhere near the same result with a brush. I have both this one, with the sturdy windscreen, and also a later export version, with the more common "flimsy" screen. Comparing the two, side by side, it is instantly clear which is the better windscreen, and just looks so nice on the model. To those of you who have not seen or acquired one of these, I would sure suggest buying, to see just what Meccano was able to do. I was and still am amazed! Comments please..........
Best regards,
Terry

The thicker, silver-edged windscreens, according to Ramsay were the earlier (first) models from 1947 with the hubs being black.

I notice your green Armstrong Siddeley is the later export with green hubs which would date it from between 1950 to 1955.

Just to throw the cat among the pigeons, my 38e Armstrong Siddeley with the green (later issue) export hubs has the thicker silvered windscreen that would normally be found in the early 1947 issues. Something tells me that this does not seem to be "the order of things" so perhaps the green hubs were issued far earlier than expected.

I have never really bothered to carefully examine the windscreen, especially when it was new, as all I ever copped was a thumping from my brothers because I had a Dinky Toy that had a windscreen AND seats, whereas all their cars, Packard, Lincoln Zephyr, Hillman Minx, etc had no glazed windscreen and no seats!!

Hopefully a drawing may surface that will answer the question as to when the thicker silver-edged windscreens were first used and then deleted.

Richard
Very nice additions! I have a very similar early 2cv that I bought from H.Hudosn Dobson around 1958.....I always liked that little French car.....lots of charm. And that Citroen Cibie van is very striking, with that bright blue color and the excellent graphics.....nice models!
Best regards, Terry

You even have a young company in Paris that rent the 2Cv with driver for a promenade in the streets.

Mine is from 1983. Not very old.

Once or twice a year, I visit England, specially the Nottinghamshire and, just in Beeston, I have seen 2 Citroën, one in white and red that you can met in the university ant the second in two tones of grey that I often saw at the Sainsbury parking !

I have just gone to 'file' the hay rake in my cabinet when I noticed that the tinplate cover on the top of the tines was different to the existing one I already had. The new one is much simplified with 4 clips on the tow bar side (as opposed to 6) and 2 slots on the tines side instead of individual holes for the tops of each tine.

Hi Ron, I should have remembered to comment on your newly added Hay Rake. That is a remarkable observation you made. Which one does belong to the box, the simplified one with four clips? The sides seem to have different widths too, is that correct? It strikes me that both still have the same old 27k numbers cast in. Both my Hay Rakes (both identical with the six clips) have 27k cast in too. As both yours have, and so have mine (one of which comes from a 'new' 310 set and the other from an older 27K - 324 all yellow single item trade box), I wonder if that cast in number has ever changed into 324 or not. Perhaps you should add this post to a new 27k - 324 thread too. Thanks and kind regards, Jan

It has been some time since my last post. Recently I was able to buy a 39 BU trade box. I have been looking for a "U" trade box for a long time. The models were not with the box.

Last week I could buy two other rarities, a mid blue Austin Atlantic with blue wheels and a pre-war Oldsmobile in maroon with blue wheels. Fatigue free and with a silver baseplate and thin axles. Perhaps you have seen these models on eBay. I have never seen a pre war 39 series with colored hubs before.

Rob---Wonderful acquisition, and glad that it went to a fellow DTCA member. Indeed, I did see this listed, as part of a lot of Dinky's, and I remember being surprised that the seller did not mention more about this very rare model. I thought about bidding on it, saw only one person was bidding, but decided it would probably be a fruitless bidding war, so I passed. It appears to be in very good condition, with little or no fatigue.......very nice, and also wonderful you found that trade box.
Best regards, Terry

As with real cars, second-hand Dinky Toys 'have a history'. This 152 Austin Devon that just arrived shows that a former owner did not like the 'Gay' colour sheme and tried to remove the yellow by scratching and with a solvent (all the silvering has gone). The blue, however is almost mint except for where the scratching got a bit vigorous. Even if the owner had been successful, it would not have helped as the base color is yellow. It proves how hard it is to remove original Meccano paint as suspected with Bruce's Holden.

Exactly 60 years ago now my older brother bought himself a simple Agfa photo camera and some ten miniature cars, most of them Dinky Toys, from the money he earned with a holiday job - as he actually did confirm to me a few minutes ago. I have shown the photo below on other occasions, but now some more zoomed in. There, you see i.a. the French no. 24C Citroën DS 19, a wonderful almost futuristic model in those years. I was only used as a stand in, a 'model' for taking this photo, I was not allowed to really play with them. All models, as seen parked there, later on did fall into the hands of his younger brothers and none of them survived in the condition seen there.

As it happened, the day before yesterday a 'brand new' DS 19 arrived and yesterday I bought a new camera replacing my 10 year old, faithful camera with which I made thousands of photos, many of the collection. An accident had happened and this was the decisive excuse to buy the new one with a much higher resolution and several objectives. Now the remarkable coincidence has happened that I made the first photo with that new camera of my 'new' DS 19, trying to get used to it, like my brother did 60 years ago with his new camera and his new DS 19! Kind regards, Jan

Another great story Jan, and of course, also a great coincidence. I am sure you will enjoy your new camera, plus that like new Citroen DS19. I have an identical one, but purchased when it first came out, from H. Hudson Dobson, and in the same Ivory color. Later, I also added the version with windows in green. I think Dinky made a nice model of the real car, which was very advanced and futuristic for sure.
Best regards, Terry

Trade box collecting is not my 'core business'. I make an exception when they are cheap and if the full as new contents has (seemingly) always belonged to that very trade box. So that is a paradox and virtually impossible - and, if possible then for common models only. But every, say, five years that occurs, and my final acquisition for this year arrived yesterday, a no. 107a/385 Sack Trucks trade box containing half a dozen pristine items, still wrapped in their original tissues. More detailed photos to follow later in the correct topic thread. Kind regards, Jan